MK Dons striker interests West Ham but Mouloungui set for Nice stay

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce stepped up his search for a striker this week both at home and abroad.

In England, Allardyce has been on a scouting mission, watching MK Dons striker Sam Baldock twice in the space of four days.

On Saturday, the Hammers boss watched Baldock score a hat-trick as his side beat Chesterfield 6-2, with Allardyce in the crowd again on Tuesday night as MK Dons knocked Norwich out of the Carling Cup with a 4-0 win thanks to another goal from the 22-year-old.

With a pricetag of around £2million and a goalscoring record of 42 goals in 123 games, it is understood that Baldock is an attractive and affordable option for the Hammers.

The young striker is blessed with pace, something that West Ham have lacked up front so far this season, and could be the ideal player to play off a frontman such as Carlton Cole or John Carew.

Having graduated from the MK Dons Academy, Baldock soon became a star for the Buckinghamshire outfit after making his senior debut in 2007.

Baldock came close to making a £1.2m move to Peterborough at the beginning of the summer, but the move fell through.

Meanwhile on foreign shores, Nice forward Eric Mouloungui’s proposed move to West Ham looks to be in the balance after the Gabon international revealed that he wanted to remain in France.

“I do not want to leave,” Mouloungui told Nice’s official website.

“It is true that staying in my situation (his contract ends in June 2012) is complicated.

“I talked with the president, and we want to find the best solution for the team and me.

“In football, everything is fast, but today I am 100 per cent Nice.

“I am here, I get along with the staff. I have earned the confidence in recent months.

“Now I have to be effective.”

Mouloungui was due in London this week to undergo a medical, with the Hammers having agreed a fee with Nice, thought to be in the region of £2.5m for the player who can play up front or as a winger.

However it now looks as though the 27-year-old will stay across the Channel.

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